Man, the violin and viola really work here. There’s shades of Difford and Tilbrook on “This Little Town,” particularly in the chorus. On the rest of the album the influences abound like a cavalcade of poprock stars. I wouldn’t believe it would work if I didn’t find myself hitting repeat repeatedly. Take the title track “Parallel Lines.” It’s got some jazzy Steely Dan, a dash of John Lennon psychedelic keyboard, a distinctly early Joe Jackson lurch, and vocal harmonies that are late sixties country rock. Things sound familiar but the genius is in the synthesis. Steely Dan and Crowded House? On the same record? Yes. The duo have cooked up a sound full of alluring cognitive dissonance. With Pressed and Ironed indie music veterans Tom Curless and Chip Saam establish their new act Crossword Smiles as the best lost 1980s band the new millennium has to offer. This time around there’s a greater diversity in sound and style, from the shoe-gazey Beatlesque aura of “Across the USA” to the transistor radio at full blast “I’m the King of Rock and Roll” to sunshine pop on “No More Happy Songs.” Though personally I’d buy the whole record just to get the exquisite should-be hit single “I Fall Into Her Arms.” That lead guitar line – so simple but so wow. Ironically he goes forward by reaching back to a sound reminiscent of his own earlier band Your Rival, sort of. I love that sort of thing but Troper eschews laurel-resting and good on him for not sitting still. Here Troper appears to be pushing against the grain of ‘authentic’ neo-1960s music that characterizes much melodic rock and roll of late. But their performance is curiously and sometimes challengingly brittle and cutting.
“Waste Away,” “Play Dumb” and “Under My Skin” are all Brill Building/Lennon-McCartney good. As always, the tunes here are brilliant, testimony to Troper’s mastery of the pop song form. The effect is like a cheesecloth-covered dream-return to one’s old apartment: it’s gonna be one part nostalgia and mega parts pure invention.
Now his new MTV takes things even further, messing with tape speeds and offering up an indie-garage-like mix. 2021’s Dilettante wasn’t afraid to let its sound get a bit blare-y at times, an effective counterpoint to the reliably hooky melodies. Since the release of his pristine pop album Natural Beauty in 2020 Mo Troper appears to have been pedalling back to the rougher parts of his musical youth. Seriously, you could recapture a bit of your youth just by purchasing this LP. Or there’s just the breathtaking 10cc-like melody that breaks out of the chorus of “Cold Turkey.” Hints of other influences are peppered throughout – the subtle dab of ABBA lurking in “Sweet Things” or the Cure-like kick off to “Place in the World.” Album closer “Do Your Worst” really showcases the band’s incredible musical tightrope act, contrasting opposing sounds like dramatic shades of colour, green or otherwise. Check out the fantastic keyboard and cello interplay on “Little One” and “Another Try,” how they drive up the intensity of melody. There’s more of the same on the rest of the album but as we sojourn into the deep cuts you really start to appreciate the instrumental tension that binds these players into a singular musical force, how the cello and guitar and drums (with an occasional dose of keyboards) hold together and stretch apart as if by elastic. The band and the audience are serious about having fun and these songs deliver. The album kicks off dance-party style with a trio of stompers: “Around and Around,” “Dance Alone” and “Changes.” If you’ve seen any pictures of their concerts then you know ‘party’ is operative word.
The band still seem like the late night love child of the Violent Femmes and the Killers to me but perhaps with a more consistent sonic palate this time around. If you could bottle up the intensity and explosive joy of youth it might sound like this. New Jersey’s The Happy Fits are back with their third album Under the Shade of Green and it is pretty amazing. Definitely time to check in with the poprock desk. As fall settles in the headline news is full regal passings and rightwing populist posturing.
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